Don’t start with a Hasid

That’s the punchline of an old Jewish joke about a blessing that is part of the traditional thrice-daily prayers, which begins, “On the saintly (i.e., the tzadikim), and on the pious (the hasidim) …,’ asking for a special blessing in their merit. Why, the jape goes, doesn’t the blessing go in the opposite order — “on the hasidim, and on the tzadikim“? Answer: “Never start with a hasid!”

The New York Court of Appeals agrees, refusing to get involved in a succession fight among rival groups of one of the largest hasidic groups, the Satmar hasidim. What does that have to do with LIKELIHOOD OF CONFUSION®? Well, of course, it recalls our discussion of the still-active trademark dispute among rivals in the Bobov hasidic group. And it reinforces our argument: Secular courts, and other agencies such as the Patent and Trademark Office, will be well advised not let their good offices be part of this “fun.”